Peaking the Stelvio
Just about a year ago I had the chance to guide a fabulous group of American women. From Washington and Oregon, these tough girls were used to riding in rain. And on a number of our rides we dealt with weather. They were unphased and it inspired me. There were many memorable moments on the trip, but the moment that was filled with the most emotion for me was the day we headed up to the Stelvio Pass from Bormio.
These women took off in calm and sunny conditions from our hotel with a great attitude and determination. Many have them had studied the course in advance of the climb and they were ready for what it would bring. I went with the front of the pack and our top woman, Beverly, broke away early. She was attacked the switchback turns, enjoyed the epic views and noted the many cows so very very close to where we stood. As we hit the final kilometers of the climb where the road gets the steepest, she felt the altitude, but dug deeper and she hit the peak with a huge smile on her face, looking so very strong! I celebrated with her momentarily, but felt driven to find the rest of the group, and started the descent, cheering for each of the mighty women that I passed. They’d grouped up in pairs and were encouraging each other through those final three kms.
As i descended, i remember finding tears in my eyes. I was so proud of these women. And, i just felt SO DAMN LUCKY to be able to do this for work. What a very special thing to help people achieve something they’ve dreamed of for a long time!
I arrived to find my co-guide Mario riding with Ginny and Natalie. Ginny is ~65 year old gritty woman with cycling in her blood. She was charging forward with determination, and just as Beverly had ahead of her, she charged for the peak. I quietly cheered for her - the words I said didn’t matter given she didn’t bother to wear her hearing aids that day. The raw emotion of arriving was fabulous and my heart swelled for each of them, for myself and my co-guides.
The descent from the Stelvio is a special thing. After so much effort, you get to turn around and steer and let gravity do the work as you enjoy the beauty of the mountains around you. We took many pictures, following Mario’s wise turns as we rolled back down to Bormio. What a very very special day.
